Astaria Ylassian
Astaria Ylassian is an elven conjurer and magical item specialist who is traveling with the crew of The Thunderbird. Description Appearance Astaria is a beautiful elven woman, with long, dark brown hair and icy blue eyes. She holds herself with poise and moves with grace. She tends to dress is finer clothes, preferring elegant dresses and silver jewelry. She is relatively short for an elf, standing at only 5'06". Personality Astaria is at once much like many other elves and not like them at all. She is graceful, confident, and tends to view the broader picture in most scenarios, but she is also inquisitive, restless, and passionate about discovery. She is always eager to venture somewhere new or encounter a type of magic or monster she has never seen before. While others would flee or hide when encountering a new demonic entity, Astaria would be eagerly taking notes. With others, she is shown to be polite and kind to others. She holds a deep value for the personal freedoms of herself and others; the freedom to choose is the most sacred thing sentient beings possess. She has little love for established structures or tradition, and only respects an authority figure so long as they have proven capable of earning that trust. Violence is often a last resort to Astaria. She does not like confrontation or aggressive approaches to resolving conflict. This is indicative of her preference for choosing her battles. When things get bloody, however, Astaria is often right there at the front lines, using her considerable skill with magic to aid her allies and bring down ruin upon her foes. Biography Background Astaria is the third generation of the Ylassian family to work in the Moondance Emporium. Born in Tolstov, Astaria was never raised among her own people; the only elves she ever knew growing up were her immediate family and the few elves who came through the Emporium looking to buy or sell magical goods. She grew up around magic and, when her mother began to teach her the basics of spellcasting, she proved quite eager and gifted at the Art. Astaria always wanted to study at the Academy, but her parents refused to let her go. As a result, she learned all of her magic at home, taught by her mother and older brother. Having few friends, Astaria's studies always came first. She read as much as she could, though many of her dreams and studies were of far off places and theorized planes of existence. The thought of travel, of seeing the world, of discovering someplace that nobody else had ever seen, was powerful within her. She loved her family, but felt stifled in the Emporium and was looking for any excuse to leave. In the Game Astaria welcomed Chime, Theras, and Two-Bit 'when they came to the Emporium to purchase magical items before leaving Tolstov. She was their guide and cashier, and provided information about the various artifacts in stock, and those brought to her by the party. When trying to ''Identify Chime's '''wooden puzzle cube, she was curious to discover the spell had no effect. Detect Magic likewise bore no fruit. Fascinated, she suggested the group bring the cube to her grandfather, Baeran, who dwells in a solitary tower in northern Slazka. Recognizing this opportunity for what it was, she offered to accompany them; to help them identify anything they found on the road and to help them contact her grandfather. Having finally found an excuse to leave Tolstov, Astaria submitted her regination--or at least, a lengthy sabbatical. Her mother disapproved, but Astaria wouldn't be swayed. The next day, she boarded the Thunderbird and left Tolstov with no intention of looking back. Appearances Vol. 1 * Chapter 5 - '"Less Than Wonderful" * '''Chapter 6 - '"The Power of Love" * 'Chapter 7 - '"Mountain and Marsh" * 'Chapter 8 - '"The Mother of Crows" * 'Chapter 9 - '"Rough Landing" Relationships Chime Astaria has grown rather fond of the young, hot-headed airship captain. The two are starting to become actual friends, and while Chime is certainly rough around the edges, the many mysteries surrounding him have caught her imagination; between his strange cube and the divine marks on his arms, he's a walking puzzle himself. Theras Theras is another mystery to Astaria, though for different reasons. Theras is calm, collected, disciplined, and shown to be capable of nearly magical feats through sheer force of will. Astaria is curious as to where they come from and why they do what they do. Aside from that, Astaria has a deep respect for the monk; Theras is good and compassionate, possibly more so than almost anyone else on the ship. Two-Bit Astaria trusts Two-Bit about as far as she could throw him. He's a deceitful con artist; a thief and a liar who would sell the whole crew out if it meant getting that dagger. The more invested she's become in the crew of the Thunderbird, the more she finds that she distrusts and, frankly, dislikes Two-Bit. '''Dale Dale and Astaria have a lot in common; bookish magical enthusiasts with a love of learning and lore. The two get along splendidly and have had more than a few long discussions aboard the airship. She finds his views of magic and history to be fascinating. The two have chatted together about the puzzle box and together, she thinks they may find a solution. When Dale died, Astaria was devastated. Of everybody on the Hunting Party, she was the most enthusiastic about finding the Mother of Crows and finding a way to resurrect him. She was overjoyed at his revival, and promised him that she wouldn't let it happen again. She means to keep that promise. Emilie To be completely honest, Astaria had never noticed Emilie before Chime chose her to go with them as a part of the Hunting Party. Since then, Astaria finds that she was impressed by the young halfling's courage and fortitude. To keep going like she did in the face of despair takes incredible courage. Even when Donbar faltered, Emilie held true. Astaria can admire that. Since leaving Mother Crow's swamp, Astaria and Emilie have become better friends. The two swap stories on the road, and while Astaria is trying to teach Emilie a little bit of magic, the bard is teaching her a bit of sleight of hand. Tomaq Astaria finds Tomaq adorable, but unsettling. His unending optimism and genuine love for his best friend, Theras, is endearing. Donbar Speaking of optimism, Astaria is quite astounded at the dwarf's outlook and never ending well of optimism and compassion for others. While she is not a cynic by any means, she feels like one with Donbar around. He's the type of guy who genuinely loves and supports the people around him. That sort of goodness makes her smile and brings out the best in her. The Gardener Like Two-Bit, Astaria does not like or trust the Gardener. Surprisingly, she likes and trusts the Gardener even less than she does Two-Bit. There's something off about the Gardener, something that puts Astaria on edge. The two are consistently at odds, arguing and verbally sniping at each other. Something about the Gardener seems to bring out the worst in Astaria. While she hasn't communicated the idea to Chime, she does believe that the Gardener is going to turn on them the second they get the kinfe. Elenora Astaria and Elenora get on quite well, both being women who enjoy the finer things in life. Elenora is a bit more fond of excitement and danger than Astaria, but they both consider themselves proper ladies. Character Information Notable Items * Necklace of Fireballs Type I: 'Astaria has expended one charge of this necklace. Elf Abilities * Low-Light Vision * '''Elven Immunities: '''Elves are immune to sleep spells, and receive a +2 to saves vs. enchantment spells or effects. * '''Weapon Familiarity: '''Elves are proficient in the longsword, rapier, longbow, and shortbow. * '''Nature Bond: '+2 Handle Animal & Survival * 'Perceptive: '+2 Listen, Search, and Spot checks. * '''Elven Magic: Sun Elves start play with the Light cantrip, and one 0-level spell from either the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list or the druid spell list. They may cast this spell once per day as a spell-like effect. Wizard Abilities * Summon Familiar: 'Black Cat named ''Olas. * '''Scribe Scroll * Quickened Spell Wizard Spells The following are spells Astaria has been shown to use in-game, have been stated that she knows, or those she is presumed to know. Cantrips * Detect Magic * Mage Hand * Message * Read Magic 1st-Level * Endure Elements * Enlarge Person * Feather Fall * Identify * Unseen Servant 2nd-Level * Acid Arrow * Bull's Strength * Cat's Grace * Locate Object * Scorching Ray 3rd-Level * Blink * Dispel Magic * Fireball * Fly 4th-Level * Dimension Door Trivia * The name Astaria means "Shining Girl" ''in elven. * Astaria is a conjurer. Her prohibited schools are Enchantment and Necromancy. * Though she never had formal magical training, she did play amateur '''Zoarkball' for a few years in her youth. Her team was called "The Ravens".